150 years ago, a president was arrested for speeding on a carriage

Donald Trump is running against Alvin Bragg and Joe Biden – and it is going to make a GREAT WORLD GREAT AGAIN

Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter – the first time in American history that a current or former president has faced criminal charges.

The DA’s office has been investigating the former president in connection with his alleged role in a hush money payment scheme and cover-up involving adult film star Stormy Daniels that dates to the 2016 presidential election. The Manhattan District Attorney would like to reach out to Donald Trump’s attorneys about his surrender.

The decision is sure to send shockwaves across the country, pushing the American political system – which has never seen one of its ex-leaders confronted with criminal charges, let alone while running again for president – into uncharted waters.

MONTANARO: He’s going to try to fire up his base even more, because he already has. I mean, he’s already doing that. In a statement this evening, he attacked the prosecutor, the New York district attorney – Alvin Bragg, a Democrat – called the indictment political persecution, blatant election interference and a witch hunt that will backfire on Democrats. You know, Trump clearly also has the backing of Republicans on Capitol Hill. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, for example, tonight called the indictment an unprecedented abuse of power. And House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan put out a one-word statement. All it said – outrageous. So there you go.

The former president believes the Witch-Hunt will backfire on Joe Biden. The American people know exactly what the Radical Left Democrats are doing. Everyone can see it. So our Movement, and our Party – united and strong – will first defeat Alvin Bragg, and then we will defeat Joe Biden, and we are going to throw every last one of these Crooked Democrats out of office so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Donald Trump vs. Kevin McCarthy: The indictment of the Manhattan district attorney’s office as a catastrophic weaponization in the weaponization of the justice system

Americans have to set aside their political views and respect the legal system in order to form judgments on cases. While Mr. Trump routinely called for his enemies to be investigated by the F.B.I., to be indicted or to face the death penalty, his indifference to due process for others shouldn’t deny him the system’s benefits, including a fair trial and the presumption of innocence. He should not have any special privileges as a former president. If he wanted to be a citizen, he should follow the same procedures as everyone else.

According to a person who spoke directly with Trump, the former president was not prepared for the decision by the grand jury to indict him.

The legal action against the president of the US throws the campaign into a new phase, where the former president has vowed to continue his campaign despite the criminal charges he faces.

Trump has long avoided legal consequences in his personal, professional and political lives. He has paid his way out of a number of private lawsuits through the years, and he is also a shareholder in the Trump Organization. He was impeached twice as president, but was not found guilty of anything.

Trump’s Republican allies – as well as his 2024 GOP rivals – have condemned the Manhattan district attorney’s office over the looming indictment, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has vowed to launch an investigation into the matter.

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio was one of the Republican chairmen who demanded Bragg testify before Congress about the Trump investigation.

Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, called the indictment “completely unprecedented” and said it is “a catastrophic escalation in the weaponization of the justice system.”

“We have a judge. We have jurors. There are appeals. So I think in the end, justice will be done. If he’s guilty it will show up. But if not, I think that will be shown too,” Bacon told CNN.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/30/politics/donald-trump-indictment/index.html

The Trump Organization and the Republicans: Trump’s record during his first presidential primary run has been charged with a historical crime – a case study

The Trump Organization made payments to Cohen in order to cover his tax liability and also to give him a bonus, according to court documents. The Trump Organization noted the reimbursements as a legal expense in its internal books. Trump has denied knowledge of the payment.

All this plays into Trump’s air of grievance, really, that he’s used to propel his political fortunes – you know, that the left is out for him; that, in turn, also his supporters, they’re out to get; that the system is rigged; and that this indictment and investigation in New York, nothing more than a politically motivated attempt to derail his presidential campaign.

There is a restaurant in Montantro. You would think that an indictment would hurt someone running for office, but Trump seems to have persuaded them that these are trumped up charges. The criminal investigations are fair according to a majority of the people in our poll. When it comes to a presidential primary, 8 in 10 of the Republicans agree with Trump and call the investigations a witch hunt. You know, a Quinnipiac poll out yesterday found that a majority of people say criminal charges should disqualify Trump from running for president. Most of the Republicans don’t agree with that.

Monte Carlo: It’s not really. I mean, Richard Nixon, former president, never faced charges because Gerald Ford controversially pardoned him. I mean, you have to go all the way back to 1872 to find a president who was even arrested. You know, President Ulysses S. Grant was speeding – arrested for speeding with his horse-drawn carriage in D.C. It’s no secret that Trump is the first former American president to face criminal charges.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/03/30/1167254662/trumps-historic-indictment-comes-during-his-presidential-primary-run

Trump’s “history” comes during his presidential-primary-run: a survey of persuadable voters with a key focus on preserving democracy

Our poll shows that preserving democracy is a high priority for a large number of people, so that’s a big wild card. And that’s true of persuadable voters. Independents, for example, ranked preserving democracy second behind the economy. The last few elections have shown that the brand of Trump is toxic in some states, and he is at risk with independents. Majorities don’t have a favorable opinion of him and that they believe that he should not be president.

It’s very difficult to say. 80% of them have a favorable opinion of Trump. Three-quarters of people want him to be president, and there are not any Republicans who are trying to stop him.

FLORIDO: This is a developing story. We’re looking forward to hearing more from you over the next few days, Domenico. Thank you, Domenico Montanaro.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/03/30/1167254662/trumps-historic-indictment-comes-during-his-presidential-primary-run

On the 1872 Death of William West, a Metropolitan Officer, and the First Presidential Indiction for Speeding in his Carry-Runaway

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William West, a former enslaved person, joined the Metropolitan Police in the nation’s capital after fighting in the Civil War, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. In 1872, West was on the lookout for speeding horse-drawn carriages near Washington’s 13th and M streets when he jumped in front of a carriage racing towards him.

West quickly realized he had pulled over President Grant, and issued a warning. West brought the president in after he was caught speeding.

“I am very sorry, Mr. President, to have to do it, for you are the chief of the nation and I am nothing but a policeman, but duty is duty, sir, and I will have to place you under arrest,” West said in 1872.

Grant was freed on a money bond of $20 which equates to about $500 by the year 2023. He didn’t contest the fine or arrest and was very appreciative of West’s decision to arrest him. The Memorial Fund reported that former MPD Chief Cathy Lanier said Grant had been issued three citations for speeding in his carriage during his time as president.

These two cases have a lot in common. Trump’s charges are more serious than a traffic violation. And Trump isn’t exactly following in Grant’s footsteps when it comes to respecting the legal process — where Grant respected West’s decision to arrest him, Trump has called investigations into his conduct “witch hunts.”

It’s not clear what this indictment will do to Trump’s chances of winning a 2024 election bid — but maybe Trump can take solace in the fact that the same year Grant was arrested for speeding, he was also elected to his second term as president.